The developments that came to fruition in the conference realignment carousel on Thursday, when TCU became the official target of the Big 12 as the league’s 10th member, weren’t necessarily the greatest pieces of news for University of Houston.

Whether or not it was publicly stated, there’s no doubt that UH would have welcomed an opportunity to become part of that league and would like to be in the spot that TCU is in now, which is to likely accept the invitation and join the conference.

TCU deserves the invitation and it has earned it. The Horned Frogs as a football program and as an athletic program are where the Cougars are striving to be. Coming into this season, guess who the winningest college football team in Texas was in the last five seasons? Not Texas, not Texas A&M, not Texas Tech, not Houston. It was TCU.

Two BCS bowl appearances. A $175 million stadium renovation that’s ongoing. More than 40,000 fans per home game. What the Horned Frogs have accomplished is admirable. That success has been built over the course of more than a decade, when Dennis Franchione first took the program to back-to-back WAC co-conference championships and continued under Gary Patterson, who has taken the program to unprecedented heights. Since that time, TCU has recorded double-digit wins on a consistent basis, save a down year here or there, and it is reaping the benefits from that success.

TCU earned its invitation to the Big 12.

UH has also had success and shown a commitment to athletics in recent years. The Cougars won a Conference USA championship in 2006, have won 10 games twice since then and could be heading for a third 10-win season since ’06 this year. UH has raised $60 million towards a new football stadium and has plans to renovate Hofheinz Pavilion once the new football stadium has come to fruition. The fans have come out: the Cougars have averaged more than 31,500 fans per game in the 32,000-seat Robertson Stadium. UH athletic director Mack Rhoades and his staff have worked tirelessly to put UH in the best position possible and school president Renu Khator has done well to raise the school’s academic reputation and profile while also being a staunch supporter of athletics.

But as they say, Rome wasn’t built overnight.

There could be many reasons why TCU received an invite from the Big 12 on Thursday and not UH. One that can’t be ignored is that TCU had a long head start on UH when it comes to progress in athletics.

When the Horned Frogs were building football success, brick-by-brick, in the early 2000s under coach Gary Patterson, UH was trying to climb back into relevancy. The Cougars began returning to respectability under coach Art Briles and athletic director Dave Maggard and the ascent has continued under coach Kevin Sumlin and Rhoades. But the Horned Frogs have made more progress and that’s why they are in the position they’re in.

I wasn’t around to cover previous administrations so I’m not going to pretend to know what did or didn’t happen or why UH hasn’t made more progress on facilities long before the last couple of years. The bottom line is, it didn’t happen. It’s hard to accomplish in two years what TCU has done in about 10. And if UH doesn’t find itself in an AQ conference when this round of realignment slows down, the idle time and lack of progress between the time the Southwest Conference disbanded until the mid 2000s will certainly be a reason to point to. During that stretch, apathy around the program reached a high point, attendance was abysmal and there wasn’t a ton of positive buzz about UH athletics.

Were Thursday’s events a death knell for UH athletics? Not at all and it shouldn’t be viewed in that way. If history teaches us anything about conference realignment, it’s that it doesn’t stop. Unless college presidents suddenly decide they want a college football playoff or we move into the era of the superconference, it doesn’t appear that the shuffling of teams in and out of conferences is going to halt any time soon. TCU was one of the handful of teams, along with UH, left out of the Big 12 when it was formed after the Southwest Conference disbanded and look where it sits now.

But UH still has a lot going for it. The current administration has a vision and doesn’t want UH to settle for “good enough.” The football team is off to a 5-0 start and save for one injury-plagued 5-7 season, has seemingly made strides under Sumlin. The basketball team is receiving national buzz based on the recruiting class that coach James Dickey and his staff hauled in for 2012. And the school has raised a significant amount of money for its football stadium project in a place that didn’t seem to have a strong philanthropic culture prior to the birth of the plans. And it doesn’t hurt to exist in the fourth-largest city in the United States, a place that is a strong, thriving media market.

Bottom line: Does TCU’s imminent walk to the Big 12 make it less likely that UH will get an invite? Probably. It’s impossible to know for sure, given how fluid everything is (raise your hand if you thought Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State would have moved to the Pac-12 at this time a few weeks ago), but reports coming from Big 12 country seem to indicate that the conference will look outside of Texas if it decides to expand further or if Missouri leaves and it has to replace the Tigers.

Does that mean UH’s hopes for an automatic-qualifying conference invitation are dead? No. Who’s to say what the Big East will do, with only six football playing schools (not counting Pittsburgh and Syracuse who are on their way out) in its league? The conference undoubtedly has to add teams in order to retain its AQ status. Who those teams might be is anyone’s guess.

And a Conference USA/Mountain West cooperative, or merger — whatever you want to call it — if it were to come to fruition, would be aimed at getting a BCS bid for its football champion. It’s not a given that it would, but it would likely have a fighting chance.

(Aside: If C-USA and the Mountain West were really smart, they’d grab the top 3-4 teams from each of their leagues, call up the Big East and join forces with the six remaining schools there and form what would be a pretty respectable football conference. But I’m just thinking aloud here.)

Maybe in three or four years we’re sitting here and UH has become TCU 2.0 and gets an invite that way. You never know.

Whatever may or may not happen, it won’t be for lack of trying on the Cougars’ part.

In the meantime, state representative Bill Callegari, who has been one of several reps who has supported a UH-to-the-Big 12 movement, released a statement on Thursday evening in light of the recent conference realignment developments. You can read the full text of the statement below:

AUSTIN, TX — “Earlier today I received word that the Big 12 athletic conference offered to expand its membership to include Texas Christian University. While I salute this decision to include a Texas university, and congratulate TCU for this prestigious recognition, I pray that the Conference’s decision-makers have not concluded their consideration of expanding their membership roster.

Last month I was joined by 31 other Houston-area state representatives and senators urging the Big 12 to include the University of Houston in the Conference. I believe now as I did then that the University of Houston remains a perfect candidate for Conference membership. Moreover, with the pending departure of Texas A&M to the Southeastern Conference, the Big 12 risks losing Houston-area talent and access to a robust market. Including the Houston Cougars in the Big 12 remains a win-win solution for the Conference, the University of Houston, the City of Houston and the State of Texas.

The Big 12′s decision today clearly indicates that the question of expanded membership appears open. If the Conference is to live up to its advertised name — Big Twelve — then it needs two additional schools. I urge the Conference’s decision-makers to include the University of Houston in either of these remaining slots.”

Representative Bill Callegari has represented Katy and the west Harris County area in the Texas House of Representatives since his election in year 2000.

CKS knows that and he is working to change this. Have you seen the documentary on the University of Miami. I’m sure CKS has and I’m willing to bet that is his road map to building something special here in Houston.

Well thoughtful documentation of what I see as the ‘facts’ on the non-pick of UofH by the comissioners of the Big12. I think probably the one single thing that stood in Houston’s lack of invitation was probably the lack of scheduling what would have been a considered by many as a “big time” opponents. Granted the C-USA is probably one of the more “balanced” football conferences around, but UofH’s lack of major conference opponents in non-conference games was probably the silver bullet. I’m not saying that they might not be invited on a “second round” of invations, they just did not present a overwhelming non-conference schedule.

I guess scheduling two Big 12 Schools and one SEC school (and beating all 3) the year before last isn’t a good non-conference schedule. There is no benefit for big conference schools to scedule games with UH now. Risk/Reward is not worth it to them. UH has shown that it can compete on the field with them and they don’t want a non-conference loss.

scheduling of big time opponents is an issue this year but in the last 8 years it has not been. we have played osu back to the kevin kolb days, we played miss st, TTU, and we have BYU upcoming on our schedule in the next few years.
compeititve schedule is not the issue.

The real reason they were not invited is their stadium. they have a stadium that holds 32,000. that is not even close to being sizable enough for the games they would be scheduled for. Yes, I know…they are GOING to build a stadium but, until they have it there is not a BSC conference who will take them. It’s unfortunate because they definitely do deserve to be in a BCS conference.

This year is not indicative of the caliber of teams outside CUSA, that U.of H. has been playing. We have played Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Alabama, Miss.St., UCLA, Oregon, and Miami in the last ten years just to name a few. Whats wrong with that competition. Considering our ranking and our position in the BCS over those same years I would say we have had a pretty rugged out of conference schedule. Check out how challenging the Aggies or Texas schedules have been and remember they are not the small underdeveloped program that U.of H. is purported to be. I think we compare in level of competition favorably.
As far as the excuse that we don’t have the facilities, I can’t argue. We don’t, but we are making amends, and if we were to get invited to play in a BCS conference I’m sure until our new facilities are finished we would play at Reliant and Toyota.
I always find it humorous to hear the elephant in the room complain about our lack of facilities. Well maybe if we had been given the sweetheart deal that the University of Texas and to a certain extent Texas A&M reaped when they were given the Permian Basin funds we would have top notch facilities and lucrative programs but instead they fought at every level to keep us down by fighting the legislature when U.of H asked for more funds and UT said only if they were given more. They are like spoiled brats and bullies.

I say we have to trust those in the the Administration that are paid to do what’s BEST for UH. Now sit tight and win BIG in basketball. Get deep into the NCAA tourney for a prolonged period and watch the resurgenge of PhiSlammaJammaII !!!
GO COOGS!!

I guess it means that unless the Big East comes calling for UH, then they will not be in an AQ conference in the near future, and I think its a mistake…UH is on the cusp of being an athlethic force once again, and they have nearly come out of that whole that Kim Helton, Dana Dimel and Chuck Gladchuk put us in the late 90′s and early 2000′s……Helton was probably the worst hire in the history of UH football in my opinion..that guy was a straight up scrub as a head coach…

Sam it may not be a bad idea to create a blog for conference expansion talks, and let it stay until the dust settles. It will direct UH alums and Fans to a place where we can vent and get the latest news.

On DeLoss Dodds, and TAMU they have always feared UH. He sees the MIAMI model and thinks to himself that he could loose his recruiting base if he allows the UH back into a BCS conference.
Kids have multiple reasons for choosing the schools they want play college football;(academics, religious,tradition, what type of system a particular coach they runs etc.)
This state is full of great schools TAMU, UT, and UH,SMU, TCU, Rice, Baylor Texas Tech. My goodness the pie is big enough for all, just ask the Florida college coaches.

News Flash De Loss this is city of over 3.8 million people. They aren’t all UT /TAMU fans………… The city is big enough and diverse enough to support three college teams.

De Loss, you oh a debt of gratitude to Vince Young because your television ratings have never been as high since he left….. Compare UT vs. USC, to UT vs. Alabama. I can still watch rebroadcast of the 2006 national championship game being played.

WHile we’re using Middle School analogies… here’s a more accurate one:

U of H is like the nerdy kid in the corner that only asks the best looking, most popular girls to dance… then gets shot down all night. Then he goes home and tells his Mom and Dad that they were all ugly. I feel sorry for him… but maybe someone needs to tell him to ask the girls to dance that are closer to his league. Maybe he will find love and be more happy.

Sammy, thanks for a well thought out piece. There is certainly much truth in what you speak. I believe the concern of many of us Cougars fans is that there are motivations of the other Big 12 members (primarily UT) which are the basis for keeping UH in a subordinate position. You don’t have to read many blog postings from other Big 12 Texas schools to realize their incessant bad-mouthing of UH. It goes far beyond a “You’re not quite ready yet” position. I am very excited and optimistic about the future of Cougar athletics. Anyone who has spent even a few minutes around Dr. Khator understands she will not sleep until UH is recognized as a premier institution in all respects, including athletics. I do not believe the other Texas Big 12 schools are especially keen to see that. The point is we cannot look to the Big 12 ever for our entry into a BCS conference, just as TCU did not. UT, Baylor, Tx Tech are only going to let us in if they are absolutely forced to. And I have little doubt they will continue their negative PR efforts about UH’s unworthiness in the process. So let’s not waste our time. MWC, Big East or some combination of these with select CUSA members should be our singular focus with repect to new conference affiliation. The Big 12 doesn’t want us. Let’s recognize that and move on down the road.

Northtexas, you are right on. The pervasive anti-UH stuff has been around since the beginning of time. In part it is the alumni groups in Houston who absolutley detest UH. They never miss an opportunity to diss the school and will forever be blind to the progress this school has made.

I once had an A&M grad introduce me at a luncheon as a graduate of Cougar High. Incredible but true. What this idiot didn’t realize was that there were a dozen UH grads in the room and they let him have it. He thought he was being cute and everyone shared his opinion. It just seemed obvious to him. That is bigotry, pure and simple and these people are bigots.

Best way to deal with a bigot is to succeed and UH is doing that on all fronts. We need to continue to build and become the 800 lb gorilla in C-USA to the point where other conferences are fighting to have us. That’s how we got into the SWC. We basically kicked the door in because they just couldn’t ignore this scrappy team that was making national headlines year after year. Win, and the rest takes care of itself. Like the song says, If you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with. And win.

There is this disillusion out there by “Cougar Fan” that they are relevant to Division 1 Football …. Here are just a few reasons The Cougars will not be asked to join the “Big Whatever”:

1. Even the Cy Fair ISD has a nicer facility than the Cougars for football and basketball. Especially for basketball….The UH builds a facility tomorrow and it wouldn’t be as nice.
2. The UH is located in a slum.
3. The student body is a transit group…there is what, 1 dorm on campus? So the atmosphere is sterile compared to other schools of their size.
4. They won’t or can’t recruit defensive players…..when was the last defensive player that got drafted or get a sniff in the NFL?
5. There is NO TV market in Houston TX for the UH….PERIOD.
6. The UH doesn’t open some new market for the other schools for recruits. Every big school already comes to Houston to recruit.
7. Other schools don’t want to travel to Houston….look at the Bowl games in Houston….EVERY YEAR 1000′S OF TICKETS ARE RETURNED BY THE SCHOOLS THAT PLAY IN THE MATTRESS MACK GARBAGE BOWL (or whatever they call it this year)
8. THE U OF TEXAS won’t allow entry….no way, no how.

This is exactly the type of UT “company line” we’ve been hearing for years. UT wants to diminish the potential of a significant competitor in the Houston market. They accomplish this by constantly reinforcing the “Cougar High” myth.

John H, UH has built and is building more on campus housing. The neighborhood is slowly improving. UH is becoming a traditional, if not destination, university. If you can’t open your eyes and mind to see that, then please stay off our blog and get lost.

Say what you will guys…John H is right. Well, most of his thoughts are right. The stadium issue is the biggest truth. Not even close to being big enough for a BSC conference. UH student are transit, he’s right on that one as well. It’s not UT that holds them back, it’s themselves. UT/UH used to be a really great rivalry and I, as a UT fan, would welcome UH back with open arms. They deserve to be in a BSC conference but, their own limitations are what is holding them back.

Your both the kinds of people who we have grown to recognize as those uninformed Texas Longhorn fans that will say and makeup whatever they want.
Some of the things John said might have been true years ago, but the University of Houston is now undergoing a major Campus master planned redevelopment which has already added two new dorms and plan to have 30% of the student body living on Campus in the next ten years. Our Athletic facilities are about to be completely redone. We have made huge strides in becoming a true Tier One University and have already been recognized by several major ranking groups to be Tier One. Dr. Khatour and Atletic Director Rhodes have done an astounding job in lining up a great group of coaches for aal programs and the Houston student body and the community have embraced this school and have continued to sell out games against fairly unpopular teams. Not one but two Rail lines will connect the campus with the most important job, living and recreational areas.
You probably haven’t been anywhere near the campus or you would realize that the area is in a state of redevelopment and your comment about Houston not being a favorable place to visit is just a bunch of crap. That has nothing to do with the destination but maybe how well a team is supported. You need to go back under the bridge or get back up to Austin. We really don’t need your help or advice.

Kelly, how many on campus students does UH have? Do you know? If so, please post and tell us the number? Also, how much additional housing is being built right now? If you know, please tell us since you seem to know so much about UH. Then, please let us know any information you have on stadium plans, ability to play at Reliant while it’s being built, etc. I’d love to hear your facts on these things – again, since you seem to have so many facts to share.

Hey Sam. Maybe it would be great to do a spread on all of the major developments on campus and post pics of all the new buildings, including the number of dorms that have been added. It sure would invalidate all these constantly false lame statements by annoying trolls.

This reeks of the SWC break up. While I think the administration has done a gteat job, their silence on progress on fund raising and desire to be in a conference contributed to this latest shun. Another factor is lack of real political support. Commentaries from the big east recently indicated that conference has no interest in us. So it appears we will once again be on the outside looking in as a member of CUSA/wac/whatever. I love the coogs and will continue to support them, but I fear we are once again headed to irrelavency.

Why does Cougar High deserve anything else? Instead of working your way up for 15 years like TCU did, your fans whined and stayed away. You have at LEAST 15 years of success to sustain before you get a whiff of the big time. But in 15 years the structure won’t be the same and you won’t get a shot. So you might as well drop to Division 3.

Excellent job as usual. I cannot be mad at TCU since they worked their butts off to get to where they are. Congrats to them and this, I believe, shows us that if we can continue our success, we will get into an AQ conference like we deserve. Support your Coogs and it will happen!

If TCU, a private school of about 8000, can do it; then UH should be able to do it with a huge enrollment and state funding. When I was at TCU nobody cared, no the administration and not the students. The university was drab and colorless. If you go there now, there are new buildings going up everywhere, the stadium is going to something to see, they actually water the grass now and there is a whole new attitude which is reflected by Chancelor Boschini on down.

TCU was on deaths doorstep in the 80′s and frankly deserved to be ignored. It is truly amazing the phoenix like rebirth of the place.

TCU is rebuilding this year with 2/3 of the squad freshmen and sophmores after losing 26 people off the Rose Bowl team and will struggle this year (See 2004 and even UT last year). But there is inexperienced talent there and Patterson will not let them fail in the long term. They may or may not ever win 10 games in the Big 12. But they will acquit themselves well when in the years to come in the Big 12.

TCU’s invite means run the table against mediocre competition and sprinkle in a few tough games and bowl wins and you can earn a seat at the table with the big boys. It helps if you beat one of the big boys on their home field in Norman.

The last thing I want to see is UH in the Big East. A trip to the east coast every week or two for a game? Pass.
We belong in the Big 12 and everyone knows it. Even the people who try to deny it know that we belong there, they just won’y admit it.

Houston never has and never will amount to anything in college football. You should seriously think about dropping to division 3 and freeing up your athletic money to help become become a real university with real academics.

I am quite curious on why you even approve his comments. It’s one thing to have a negative opinon on why UH shouldn’t get an invite but this poster doesn’t add anything productive to the conversation EVER. I respect all opinions on issues but he is just a troll poster.

What’s the matter, I cannot come on here and give an opinion? I think your school’s academics are garbage and frankly insulting to the idea of your being a university, and so does every single notable college ranking. A more appropriate name would be Houston Community College.

MD Astro… I don’t care if you knock sports but please don’t knock education. I am very proud to have graduated from the University of Houston. Here are some facts so you can get your story straight! Thanks!

In January 2011, the University of Houston joined the ranks of the top research universities in the nation with the announcement by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching that placed UH in its top category of research universities.[8][9][10][11] The designation makes UH one of only three top-tier public research universities in Texas.[8]

The Princeton Review has listed UH as one of America’s best colleges.[47] The institution ranks among the Top 50 American Research Universities, and is in the Top 300 in the Academic Ranking of World Universities.[12][13] It ranks as a Tier 2 national university in U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges.”[45]

The University of Houston Law Center is a top-tier law school—it ranks 56th among the nation’s “Best Law Schools” in U.S. News & World Report.[48] U.S. News & World Report ranks the C.T. Bauer College of Business as the top Undergraduate Business Program in Houston, third among public universities in the state of Texas, and 43rd in the nation among public universities. In 2002, the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management ranked third in the nation in hospitality management by the Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Education

Gee, you sounded like somebody have bent you over and did the unthinkable to you! Has the Coogs thrashing of the Bonghorns left that big of a sting?
It was only a game, the beating was nothing personal! Get over it and sniff the Coogs’ jockstraps it will man you up!

The Princeton Review, the widely known education services company, chose UH for inclusion in its popular annual guidebook, “The Best 376 Colleges: 2012 Edition.” Only 15 percent of the nation’s colleges reviewed by Princeton Review – and only 8 percent of all colleges nationwide – are included in this guide.

TARU (Top American Research Universities) ranked UH among the Top 50 public research universities in three of the nine performance categories used to measure research strength: National Academy members, endowment assets and annual giving. UH is on the cusp in two other important categories: doctorates granted (ranked 54) and postdoctoral appointees (ranked 55), offering another clear indication of the university’s steady improvement.

UH is one of the great colleges in the nation to work for, according to a new survey by The Chronicle of Higher Education. UH joins 84 other four-year institutions and 26 two-year institutions on the annual list, which recognizes the best practices of elite groups of colleges based on enrollment size.

The Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Center at UH’s C.T. Bauer College of Business is No. 1 on the list of the Top 25 Undergraduate Schools for Entrepreneurs, released by The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine. The program was ranked No. 1 in 2008 and 2010, and No. 2 in 2007 and 2009

coogs dont mind you making post, but it would help if you had your facts straigt for just once. really if you have nothing of substance to add, is there not a ut blog for you to participte in?

just are you are wrong about competing in football, you are wrong about UH academics.

here is more proof.

The Princeton Review, the widely known education services company, chose UH for inclusion in its popular annual guidebook, “The Best 376 Colleges: 2012 Edition.” Only 15 percent of the nation’s colleges reviewed by Princeton Review – and only 8 percent of all colleges nationwide – are included it his guide.

TARU (Top American Research Universities) ranked UH among the Top 50 public research universities in three of the nine performance categories used to measure research strength: National Academy members, endowment assets and annual giving. UH is on the cusp in two other important categories: doctorates granted (ranked 54) and postdoctoral appointees (ranked 55), offering another clear indication of the university’s steady improvement.

UH is one of the great colleges in the nation to work for, according to a new survey by The Chronicle of Higher Education. UH joins 84 other four-year institutions and 26 two-year institutions on the annual list, which recognizes the best practices of elite groups of colleges based on enrollment size.

The Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Center at UH’s C.T. Bauer College of Business is No. 1 on the list of the Top 25 Undergraduate Schools for Entrepreneurs, released by The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine. The program was ranked No. 1 in 2008 and 2010, and No. 2 in 2007 and 2009

MD Astro?….
First of all remove the Astro form your title. You are not entitled to use a Houston sports team in your name when all you do is troll from one blog to the next insulting the University of Houston. Those that get their rocks off insulting UH are classless. As other posters have eloquesntly stated the University of Houston is a very respectable academic and athletic institution.

Please brings facts to these forums instead of a blind and misguided hatred of a fine school you abviousy know nothing about. Better yet, don’t post on these forums at all.

Yesterday’s news was a punch in the gut to me, but TCU earned that invitation so no sour grapes here. What continues to make my blood boil, is that Tulane has been mentioned as a possible target should Missouri leave. Tulane?!

All good reasons for TCU. Congrats to them. However, there are just as many if not more reasons to have invited UH. As long as UT is in the Big 12-2-1+1, there’s a better chance of Christ returning before they let us in

Unfortunately, Deloss Dodds holds a very long grudge and will never forgive UH for Bleachergate : Houston finally convinced UT to play them on their home field based on by adding about 10K seats as temporary bleachers. They wer put up and immediately came under scrutiny for their negligent construction. A day or two before the game they were declared structurally inadequate by inspectors and unsafe to use. UH thought that a TV feed in the Basketball gym was a satisfactory replacement for their inadequate bleachers that were sold almost exclusively to Texas fans. Deloss has never forgiven UH for this, he really should move on, Im a UT fan and would love to see UH in the Big 12. This is another quote on the matter “I was the Forensic Structural Engineer that tried to warn UH and the engineer responsible for the structure that it was unsafe. I had tickets in them and just stopped by to check out where my seat was, because I was on a project near the campus. The structure was made out of scaffolding and significantly under designed. After running into a number of road blocks, I finally got some media photos out that got Gifford Nielson involved. Long story short, the UH President went up into the stands and said he wouldn’t let his grandkids play on them. A UH structural professor called me and told me not to let them use the stands, because they were unsafe but he couldn’t say anything about it because of his job. The stands were built on the side of a muddy hill with 2×4′s embedded into the ground next to the wooden 2×10 shims to keep the bases from sliding. Unbelievable. “

I remember that particular game (it was back in 2001, shortly after Sept 11). I recall the contractor who built the scafolding stating that it was built per code or something to that affect but UH officials dissagreeing. I’ve also mentioned to a couple buddies that are UH alumni that this was probably why UT will play Rice practically every year but won’t play UH.

The grudge that Dodds holds from Bleachergate comes down to one thing – UH wouldn’t succumb to his demands to move the game to Rice or the Astrodome. Even though the stands were deemed safe by the contracted scaffolding company that set them up, the opinions of other engineers caused UH to make the choice 5 days before the game to avoid the risk and not let anyone in the seats. The 4,000 or so ticketholders got a refund. Sure, it was something that shouldn’t have happened and would have been forgotten except for one thing – Deloss Dodds was not able to bully UH and get his way and he’s held a grudge ever since. I don’t think anyone (even UT fans) will deny that he’s an arrogant SOB…and that arrogance is what is holding UH out of the Big 12. (Strangely, it’s also what kept the Big 12 together since he wouldn’t relent on keeping all LHN revenues.) But he’ll retire or die one day and then logical thinking will once again return to the possibility.

I remember that whole deal. I was a student on campus at the time. I still find it bewildering that someone could hold a grudge for that long over something like that, if that’s indeed the case re: Dodds. It’s been 10 years since that happened.
-SK

Really good piece, Sam. I particularly like your explanations of (1) why TCU is presently more attractive to the Big 12 than is UH and (2) just how fluid the future is. Best thing for UH to do is to keep winning games, keep drawing fans, and keep raising money for the stadium. Do those three things and the rest will take care of itself.

The Big 12 needs to be careful of unintended consequences here. UH’s dominating teams of the 70′s and 80′s were the direct product of the massive chip on UH’s shoulder created by the giant snub and disrespect by the established programs. History appears to be repeating itself. From the perspective of UT, the only worse thing than having UH in your backyard is having UH in your backyard possessing an attitude and on a mission.

Congratulations to TCU they earned it. It just wasn’t UH’s time and to be candidly honest, as long as DeLoss Dodds is alive and breathing UH does not stand a snowball’s chance in Hell of getting into the Big 12. It’ unfortunate that there is so much animosity between the schools and the judgement of UT is severely impaired, blinded by arrogance and greed. UH’s time will come just as the time came for TCU, and hopefully it will not be too far off in the distant future.

Some of these comments are hilarious and speak to how ignorant some of the readers are. I especially love the statement “Houston never has and never will amount to anything in college football.” I’m assuming that the person who posted that statement either is 11 years old and is therefore excused from his ignorance or is truly ignorant and has no idea how to read college football record books.

I don’t think UH will get a invite to the Big 12, so I think this would be better:

UH
UTEP
Tulsa
SMU
New Mexico
Boise St.
Air Force
San Diego St.
Colorado St.
Wyoming

This would be a decent conference (not a BCS, but still a competitive conference to watch. Better then East Carolina, Memphis, UAB, and the truth, Rice (Rice should drop football all together and just focus on basketball and baseball, be a Duke type sports program).

Many people were saying that TCU would never get to an AQ conference a decade ago. Plus, there is no guarantee that the Big East will retain AQ status after 2014(the next round of BCS talks), which is why they are pressing hard for the Navy and AF. I heard the idea that the MW and C-USA would take each conference winner and they would play for a BCS bid. What about the idea of the MW and C-USA taking the 3-4 best teams from each and perhaps combine them with the what is left of the Big East schools and getting their own bid should the BE lose AQ status..

Reading the Mountain West message boards, it’s apparent the MWC wants UH. IMHO that should be weighed heavily when the Cougars make a decision about their next conference move. Long-term, the MWC has probably got a lot more upside in football than the Big East.

Eric,
To be fair, only one of those five wins is against C-USA teams. The strength of schedule and the fashion in which UH has won the games I think has more to do with their absence in the top 25 than the fact that they are in C-USA.
-SK

I can’t see UH as doing the cows’ bidding in the big whatthehellitscalled conference. Besides, the cows are so high and mighty these days they would crap on everyone else in a heartbeat and go independent. Actually if Dodds had any BALLS they would do it right NOW, but he’s a gutless low-life coward. As for the MWC does that get UH any closer to the BCS bid we covet? NO.

When I saw this last night on the news it was like someone hit me in the gut. Thanks for trying to spin it and give us some silver lining here Sam, but this is just bad bad news. I think we are going to be stuck here in this CUSA childrens table conference for another 10 years. All we can do is just keep wining and keep building, hope that in 10 years B12 or SEC will take another look at our great university.

I hope this serves as a rallying cry to all Cougars out there. Obviously, TCU’s long work and commitment paid off. Everyone from the administration to the DFW community to the fans/alumni base contributed.

That is what we have to do. The announcement is done. Now let’s get back to work. Get friends and family out to the games, spread the word about UH, support Dr. Khator and Mack and lets continue to build our program. Let’s not let this be the thing that lets the air out of the ball. We’ve made tremendous progress with the program in the last 8 to 10 years, but we must continue to get people excited about our program.

I have no doubt that our team will continue to be successful and improve on the field, we as the alumni base and fans need to provide the support so people want to come play or cheer to their local university.

Jack,
From folks I’ve talked to, it sounds like posturing, but obviously that name has been floated from Big 12 country. That would not make a ton of sense to me. Athletically, Tulane doesn’t offer a lot. If academics are that important (Tulane is an AAU school) then Rice would be in the conversation, and it’s not.
-SK

I like your article, and you make some good arguments. The COugars have a good history when you think of Phi Slamma Jamma and the Andre Ware led passing attack. However… history doesn’t count for much today, and the COugars sat on their haunches while other programs passed them by. UH is maybe the 6th or 7th choice of the Big 12.

Honestly, Seriously and Logically… can you honestly say that UH has a better long term athletic program than top contenders? I mean teams like Louisville, West Virginia, Cincinnatti and BYU? These are the top contenders… but I would venture to say that programs such as Air Force and Boise State bring more of an audience that UH. (TV and attendance)

The best thing the Poor Cougars can learn from all of this is to get their house in order for the next conference shuffle. Not plans… not hopes and drema but concrete results. Build the new stadium. Put consistent winning teams on the field/court. Develop a fan base that sells out every game reguardless of who it is. Then… try to make the Big 12 regret their decision.

People are worried that we might be stuck in CUSA for another ten years. So? That is the point. Do well anyway and you are rewarded. Go out and dominate, build better facilities (which we are doing) and things work out.

The apathy began a few years before the SWC dissolved. Coog fans like to point to Governor Richards and political wrangling as the source of our woes, but the fact is the nails started going into the coffin before that process even began.

We hired Kim Helton and Aaron Brooks, both of whom fared poorly. We stuck with them, we gave them raises, and they never delivered on the potential we had at the time. Fans lost interest and stopped showing up.

This all became evident before the SWC folded. Had we gone into that era with the momentum we’d had in football and basketball just a decade earlier, it would have played out differently. It would have been harder for the politicians to throw Houston under the bus in the name of their school’s glory. If that had happened, it would have been easier to land on our feet.

Then, when it came time to find a new home, we made the mistake of believing we were “too good for the WAC”. Maybe we had been a decade before, but in 1995? We were a poorly-attended program with no more than 3 wins in the recent seasons. So we joined CUSA. Look where that got us.

I was on campus during the years the SWC was dissolving. The on-campus atmosphere was pathetic. Arriving at a nearly-empty Astrodome for home games (unless Texas or A&M was visiting) to see the coach favor his son instead of a quarterback who could complete a pass, seeing negative total yardage on the stat board at halftime, and being bewildered the next week when the Daily Cougar announces that Helton got a raise. I cried foul then and I’ll say it again — we made this bed.

Keep showing up.
Keep winning.
Keep donating.
Keep caring.

Do this, and we’ll get there. But we’re not there now.

Congratulations to TCU. They’ve earned it. All we can do is follow their example.

If you have to add bleachers every game to accomodate the demand for tickets… people will take notice. Follow through on the new stadium… people will take notice. Add UT and OU to your schedule every year (Like Boise adds Georgia and others) and win… people will notice.

Obviously Coach Lee you don’t follow the Cougars that closely or you wouldn’t be suggesting adding UT to our schedule. We would love to play them every year. They won’t play us and as long as Deloss Dodds is running the show that won’t change. Why are you even trolling on this blog. You don’t have anything substantial to say but you like to throw out your Poor little cougars comment.
I think most of the U.of H. faithful understand our situation and we are in the process of changing it. Look at our record for the last 6 years. Our attendance has gone up every year and we are now selling out our games. We have raised 60% of the money needed to break ground on new facilities in a very bad economy I might add.
Your attempt to insult us might make you feel smug, but I just feel sorry for the likes of you who find solace in making fun or trying to ridicule others about something they show they know very little about.

All of you UH haters need to realize that if we are admitted UT, OU, TT, OSU and BU will come to Houston everyother year and play. The city of Houston will be able to see quality college athletics at Relient or a brand new state of the art out door college stadium that seats 50k. 95% of you UH haters never went to UT… You know who you are. UT has never done anything for you! Support your hometown and local university!

Geez this what I have been saying. I like UH, but I am a huge college football fan and would love nothing more than to have My City, the city of Houston, be the center of the college football world a few weekends during the football season.

We are doing stuff about it. It was just recently that we decided to do this. We are in the process of a new stadium. We have a good group of coaches that know the Houston Area and are getting some good recruits. It takes time and will not happen overnight. If we just keep building our program we will be fine.

The Bonghorns feel to threatened by the mighty Coogs for them to include the Coogs!

Bonghorns are natural COWards who are determined to beat UH through behind-the-door schemes instead of let it have the chance to stand among them. Bonghorns know, very well, that if UH are invited the Bonghorns will never be good again because the Coogs will regularly annihilate them! So the best decision is for the Bonghorns to quietly and COWardly work behind the scenes to keep the Coogs out! This is a simple tale of Bonghorns Cowardness, nothing more nothing less!

This move makes me understand that the big 12 (Texas Longhorn Conference) is the worst most selfish worthless conference ever made. Here they are able to help out a fellow texas public school in the 4th largest city in the world but no because their stubborn a holes that only think about themselves. Also they don’t want the competition because they suck and should be disgraced to consider them selves a part of this state. I thought texans looked out for each other?

Once again, Sam, you are proving to be the best sports writer for the Chron. Thanks for articles that are balanced, and don’t over sensationalize the topic. Your articles are also very well researched and informative.

The Prowl,
I’m not thrilled that Rhoades and Khator’s approach publicly is to not discuss realignment, because obviously it would be good for me and my job if they would make comments. But I do understand where they are coming from. They feel it is not in their best interests to make public statements because of the fluid nature of all this. I’m sure they’re trying to avoid building any enemies within their current conference in the case that they remain there long term and I think they also don’t want to be made to look foolish if they publicly campaign and don’t get anywhere. There’s a case to be made for that approach (look at Pittsburgh and Syrcause; they weren’t making any noise before they quickly bolted to the ACC and SMU’s public posturing hasn’t seemingly yielded any results yet), but there’s also a case for making some kind of public statement (TCU AD Chris Del Conte was careful with his words but did make public comments while rumors flew about the Horned Frogs fate in recent weeks). All in all, I don’t love the approach, but I understand it. I can’t force them to talk if they don’t want to, but I think it would probably make the alumni base feel a lot better if they said something and I completely understand that perspective as well.
-SK

Sam, I know you are here to pump up U.H. and I respect you for that, but please consider some facts about the Cougars and why they are better off in Conference USA.

First of all, consider U.H. and its competitive level in sports other than football (yes, there ARE sports other than football!). The Cougars would be a washout in the Big 12. This is where A&M is making a huge mistake joining the SEC, where they are destined to become bottom feeders. U.H. should not make the same mistake.

Facilities are another non starter. What is the incentive for Big 12 schools to come play at a 30,000 seat stadium?
Not to mention that U.H. is a commuter school. It has close to zero student fan base and very few ardent supporters. Rice is better off in that respect.

Academics are not a U.H. strong point. What is the graduation rate for Cougar athletes?

You’ve obviously haven’t been to a UH game. I’m an alimnus and sit across the student section and I can tell you its anything but non existent. I’m proud every time I look over to see what our section has become.

gab,
I appreciate your contributions and thanks for taking the time to read and comment. However, I must clear it up – I am not here to pump up UH. I am here to cover UH athletics and the relevant issues and topics that surround it. My objective in this blog entry was to provide some perspective based on good, cold hard facts. It wasn’t meant to spin it in a positive way. It was meant to say what I honestly believe – that realignment is far from over, TCU is where UH wants to be and that Thursday’s events aren’t the end of the world for UH fans and UH athletics. You are correct in that facilities have held UH back in these conversations in the past, and until they get a shovel in the ground for the new stadium, it’s going to be an issue. The zero student fan base thing is not true for football though; the student section is often the first to fill up at home games and it has been that way for the last two years.
-SK

Look its easy to move the program forward quickly. Move home games to Reliant Stadium starting in 2012. Hire a high profile defensive coordinator who can recruit upper top end defensive talent to Houston. Can you imagine how good the Coogs could be with a really good defense? Finally, petition the Mountain West for membership and get out of C-USA. Nobody is interested in seeing Tulane, UTEP, and ECU or any of the teams in this conference play the Cougars. No ofense to those schools–its just a city of this size has too many choices. I doubt anyone in this city cares who wins C-USA. Its just a bunch of also rans. I think half the reason the Coogs always lose to a team they shouldnt is because even the players cant get up for these games. The boring C-USA schedule is killing the UH attendence. At least in the Mountain West, Houston would play a better caliber of team and are guaranteed a game against Boise.—So there you have it, a plan to become BCS ready in less than 2 years. Hey, if SMU came with Houston to the Mountian West, the Mountain West actually might get the Big Easts AQ status when the BCS recalculates the relative conference strenghs in 2014.

I don’t really see that much of an improvement in the Mountain West once you take out TCU and the fact that Boise State and Air Force are probably bound for greener pastures. Then you are in the same boat as the Big East is finding themselves. A sinking ship

I used to think that too. But just look at the standings. The Mountain West will lose TCU next year. But that leaves them with Boise (#5 nationally) at 4-0. Wyoming, San Diego State, and Air Force are all 3-1. Colorado State is 3-2. TCU is actually in the botton half of the standing at 2-3. New Mexico and UNLV are the only other Mountain West teams with losing records. If Houston were to join the MWC your looking at a significantly higher level of play. If SMU were to make the move with Houston, I would think they would be at least the 4th best conference in the nation. If Oklahoma, Oklahoma St, and Missouri all leave the Big 12, the Mountain West with UH and SMU starts to look better than the Big-12. On the other hand, we have C-USA. In the West Divisiion, other than Houston and SMU, we have Tulsa, Tulane, Rice, and UTEP. Everyone of them has a losing record and are a combined 7-12. In the C-USA east division, its worse. Only Southern Miss has a winning record at 4-1. UCF, E Carolina, Marshall, UAB, and Memphis all have losing records. They are a combined 6-16. Without significant upgrades, C-USA has no chance of ever getting AQ status from the BCS. The Mountain West with Houston and SMU, well, they have a pretty good chance of being a BCS conference in the near future.

As a graduate and former athlete at UH I can personally say that the biggest issue competing in C-USA was competing against schools no one in Texas cares about. I was way more pumped about competing against local Texas schools (UT, Rice Baylor etc) regardless of ranking or status. I know football is it’s own world but the local rivalries mean so much more as an athlete. That would be the best part of UH going to the Big 12 …if they ever allow us. Also, call us cougar high all you want, but most of my UT friends are currently in law school at UH.

Really…you dont know. Texas runs the Big 12. Texas gets what Texas wants. Thats why A&M left. Thats why Missouri is about to leave. Thats why Oklahoma and Oklahoma State will leaves as soon as the Pac-12 says “come on over”. If Texas wanted UH in they would be there. They dont.

We are not blaming Texas for how we play, or our facilities, or our attendance, but Texas has been the elephant in the room for the big 12. They are bullies and will always get what they want. They have always been given the lionshare of state money and have been the advantaged child. We are a state supported school just like Texas Tech, Texas A&M, and the University of Texas, but we don’t get the same amount of support.

Texas is light years ahead of the University of Houston in every phase of their physical plant. Their academics are renowned, but only because they have been the recipients of so much more money than all of the other schools in Texas combined. Give us just a fourth of that and see where we would be now. We have always had to beg for funding.
From the time this University was founded back in 1946, the students of UT have had a negative opinion of U.of H. We were called Cougar High, and I now understand why. People who have to make fun or ridicule usually have some kind of insecurity issue like bullies, and for whatever reason U.T. didn’t feel comfortable with a state supported University in Houston. Maybe they thought we would get a fair share of the pie. I don’t think they had anything to worry about because the state legislature has always given UT whatever they wanted. Kind of like a spoiled child.

Sad that the burnt orange UH haters are deploying racism their zeal to keep UH out of the Big 12. I’m proud to be an alum of the the second most diverse university in the nation according to a recent USA Today and World Report and it’s down the street from Texas Southern University. That;’s a plus not a minus.

And oh yeah, two of Houston’s light rail lines are passing by the UH campus.

I’m simply amazed that the UH haters conveniently forget that we do have access to Reliant Stadium or Toyota Center for big football or basketball games when needed, we sit in the fourth largest city in the nation with two airports and two major airlines hubbed in them and all the other positive qualities about this city and our flagship university, which is ahem the third largest in the state.

So yeah, I’m tired of the UH bashing, and look forward to seeing it playing its sports in a BCS conference where it deserves to be.

The real story is that the UH coaches are doing a heck of a job with 2 and 3 star athletes per Rivals, but can you imagine if this staff had the opportunity of coaching 4 and 5 star athletes like Texas, what they could do. That is what Texas and the Big 12 is worried about!!!!!!!!
We just need to get in a automatic qualifying conference and there biggest fear would be realized.

I love Houston sports but it seems our teams are always in “wait and see mode” or always late to the show instead of trying to set the bar. Instead we play catch up. I’m still a die hard fan regardless.

I’ve been reading this blog and some of the misinformation posted on here is simply laughable. I graduated from UH in 2001. When I matriculated at UH in 1996, let’s just say that the campus definitely needed a facelift. By the time I graduated in 2001, the changes in the campus were simply astounding! Since that time I’ve had the opportunity to attend another school in the midwest (a Big Ten school) and let me just say that while the overall campus of my graduate program was beautiful, the architecture at UH was easily on par with this Big Ten school (a “public ivy” just like UT).

Regarding athlete graduation rates, sorry to burst your bubble my friends but in that regard the latest stats show that in 2008 the UH graduation rate for its athletes was 59% while UT was at 63%. Three percent is hardly that big of a difference, and considering UT’s financial advantage it is sort of an indictment of UT’s commitment to its student athletes. Go to the NCAA web page and look under the Federal Graduation Rate Data and you can see what I am talking about. If you are talking about the graduation rates of the overall student body, then UH does have some work to do, but Pres. Khator and the regents know that and are working on it. I have faith that the people in charge at UH know what they are doing. Seems like they have made nothing but good decisions (from an academic perspective) since Pres. Smith started in 1997.

As for a lack of fan support, I will admit that at least between the period of 1992 and 2003 that was a problem because well, honestly, the team sucked before Art Briles arrived. Hey, when UT sucked between 72 and 98, they had a hard time selling out games also. Shoot, when Miami was winning national titles in the 80′s,90s and early part of this decade they had problems selling out games. Same for USC. And, if you want to talk about bad neighborhoods, like someone mentioned above, just visit USC and Miami, or for that matter, Georgia Tech, the University of Chicago, or the University of Minnesota. I can go up and down the list, but what all those schools have in common is that they are in major metropolitan areas. They are not in college towns. That is both a blessing and a curse. It doesn’t make it better or worse, just different. I for one chose UH over A&M, DePauw, TTU, and other schools because I enjoy the big city. And it was the best decision I ever made (other than marrying my wife!). BTW, having been in that neighborhood on numerous occasions, I think the reputation of 3rd ward as dangerous is a result of some lingering issues from the 70′s. The area has definitely come up and the campus has never been safer.

I don’t understand why UT people feel like they have to put down UH. We are all Texans and it would behoove the UT alumni to pump up UH. I am sure the UT administration understands this. It is simply not possible for UT to accept every person in Texas that wants to go there and those people who want a quality education in Texas have to have some place else to go. At this point, outside of A&M (which has a very unique culture and is more technical in nature) UH is their best bet. It is in the largest city in the state (by far), the most economically powerful, and by the way, it is also the energy capital of the world! Luckily, the business community in Houston understands this and that is why they are lining up to assist UH to assist us as we continues to climb up the academic rankings.

Finally, MDAstro, seriously, if you really did go to LSU, please don’t say anything else. You have a right to your own opinion but not your own facts. My friend, there is only one university in the State of Louisiana that is Tier 1, and it isn’t LSU (here’s a hint: that university is in Conference USA). BTW, why won’t LSU play UH anymore like they used to in the mid-90′s? Probably because the games were way too close. So please go back to the Red Stick and go shoot some aligators, bribe some politicians, or whatever it is people in Louisiana do when they are not gambling away their life savings!

I do agree with those above who say that UH should focus on getting our stadium built, increasing football revenue, and building the overall reputation of the football program in the region. One thing I appreciated about Art Briles (and why I don’t hold any grudges or ill will toward him) is that he left the program in a good spot when he went to Baylor. It hasn’t taken a step back, which is the mark of a good football program. That is what happened at TCU. First Coach Fran rebuilt it, and then Coach Patterson stepped in and took it even farther. That is the key. Sumlin is doing the same and when he eventually leaves I want the program to be in a place where people are clamoring for the job. So, if staying in Conference USA is the best way to do it, or if it is joining the MWC, then so be it. I personally do like the modified MWC idea, but we will see how it plays out.

I’ve seen several comments on this blog stating that one of the big problems with UH is that it does not have enough students living on campus, but no one ever seems to cite any hard numbers. The chart below is based on information from US News & World Reports [http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges] and contains all current Big 12 [Big 12-2-1+1-1?] members plus TCU and UH arranged in order of the number of undergraduates living in “college-owned, -operated, or -affiliated housing:”

As you can see, Houston has the lowest percentage of its undergraduate population living on campus[15%], but because of the large overall size of the student body [third only to Texas and TAMU], it beats out both Kansas schools and TCU in terms of total numbers of students living on campus.

In terms of overall undergraduate student enrollment, the numbers look like this:

Interestingly, you can add up the entire undergraduate populations of Baylor and Oklahoma State [30,635] and still have less students than UH [30,688]. Of course, if you add up the students living on campus at those two institutions [12,732], the number is well more than double that of students living on campus at UH [4,603].

Unfortunately, we are about 3-5 years behind in facilities improvements. I don’t think that was the sticking point though. I think UH is next in line for a Big 12 invite based on the program progression alone. We are just not as good as TCU right now.

If it were just about the stadium capacity and/or newness (my point is it’s not!) , these teams would have gotten an invite based on their stadiums over UH:

SMU great stadium
Rice holds how many? 75,000 or something
UTEP most scenic stadium in Texas
North Texas Brand new first class stadium

And again, if it were just about stadiums, they should have already kicked out Baylor, Kansas and Kanas State! They suck.

I have been to UH games, prior to the Keenum era. I have been to UH games in other sports. What will UH be after Keenum is gone and the wins become harder to accomplish?
When was the last time anyone went to a Cougar game other than football? I saw perhaps a thousand for a Conf USA game. Much less for baseball and softball.
I am not a Cougar hater. I am merely a realist. Please answer my question about how UH would stack up against Big 12 teams in any sport. There is not a single one in which UH could compete for a conference title.
UH is far better off in Conference USA, where they can compete. But if they do wish to move up, the Cougars need to stop playing patsies like Georgia State.

Don’t pay attention to detractors. They make arguments up out of thin air to belittle the UH. We know our drawbacks and are working hard to shore them up. We have made huge strides in the past few years. Our potential is limitless.

UH is trying hard to build a college community by building new dorms and getting students to stay on campus. The future is looking promising. Keep supporting the Coogs! Good things will happen!

One Cougar Grad’s Opinion:
- DeLoss Dodds claims that UT are “The Joneses” and everyone wants to be them
- I don’t keep up with the Joneses
- I don’t associate with the Joneses
- I don’t care what the Joneses or their “friends” say or do
- I do my own thing and let the chips fall where they may
- I am proud of who I am, of my university, and my degree
- Only my fellow alumni and myself have the credibility chips to voice any concerns or be critical because we love our university
- The end

Think about it: They have built a winning program no thanks to the Horns, Aggies, and Sooners of the world. They’ve done it one game at a time against teams from around the country and have gotten their name and winning reputation “out there”. Their recruiting is on the rise, and they have not had to direclty “compete” with the Horns, Aggies, etc. for high school recruits due, in part, to playing in different conference than those teams. The mentality being the Frogs were a “different” team in a different conference than the rest of the Texas schools. The choice wasn’t apples-to-apples, but oranges-to-apples.

Now, the Frogs go back to a conference that resemebles something like the old SWC, where the Frogs were 2nd rate, at best, and sorely overlooked when it came to time to recruiting top Texas high school players. However, instead of the old SWC power structure in-place that changed often depending on which team was predominantly winning, we now have the Horns wielding all of the authority, control and decision-making in the Big 12 including dictating to the Frogs who to play and when.

Sure, a financial boost to the Frogs for joining the Big 12 in the short-term. No doubt. However, that’s about it. From a long-term perspective (3 to 5 years) from here on out, the program begins to errode because instead of Texas high school recruits thinking about playing for the Frogs (a Texas program) playing teams from other parts of the country in a conference not named the Big 12, now they can choose the Frogs, Texas, Tech, or Baylor, etc. – all schools playing in the same conference and in the same state. Recruits that would’ve otherwise considered and, maybe, have gone to the Frogs before, can now be lured by Texas, Tech and Baylor as the recruits see these other Texas teams play against the Frogs in a yearly conference schedule. The recruiting base slowly errodes for the Frogs over time. Sad, but true.

Coogs are better than a “money-grab” team and have proven themselves a worthy opponent no matter the conference. Take the high road, Coogs, and stay away from the Big 12.

The best part of the state of UH’s programs is the fans, students, and alumni are in a position to keep moving forward. The most important items are attendance and financial support and they have absolute control over both.

I remember when we were in the SWC. Each recruiting season we landed 10 to 12 of the Houston Top 100 talented kids in this area. You don’t think Texas doesn’t remember that also? We did have an effect on their recruiting in this area and still do to some extent, even though we’re not a member of their club. They know that we would prop up our program with a share of the conference revenue and compete with them more than just on the football field. They’ve been trying to bury our program for years. They won’t succeed, but they will make it tough on us. We have to be resilient. As for the bashing, if we’re such a dump, why are many of their grads coming here to do post graduate work and even getting degrees at Houston? More than one UT grad who did just that, told me that UH is the best kept secret around and is an excellent school. I’ve heard that from Aggies who did the same. Why doesn’t Texas bad mouth USC and UCLA for not even having a stadium and USC’s location in a gang-infested area. I think they know it’s best to leave that alone.

Is there any reason to beleive that UH officials are moving behind the scenes to make something like a “Big USA Mountain East Conference” happen. Or are they content rot in C-USA, while they sit by the phone like spurned lover, weak and dehydrated whispering the Big-12′s name.

While I am an Aggie, my sons attend or graduated from UH, TAMU and Sam Houston State. I believe each is or has received an outstanding education and that all three schools are superior to Texas u. I am happy TAMU is going to the SEC and very upset UH is not invited to the Big Hate conference. Alot of the tu fans are so hateful and arrogant that I call it the Big Hate.

If Tex would levee the Big Hate, everyone would be better off and UH, SMU and TCU would all join. I know UH needs a bigger stadium, but I remember the SWC days when UH had pLenty of fan support. Offer to play the big games at Reliant or Rice until Robertson can be expanded. Tex hates UH more than they hate Aggies, so I really would steer clear of them if possible.

Good luck UH and be careful around the cancer. keep growing the school and football and everything will be fine. sUmlin is a great coach and a class act.